Martin Amis once wrote a story showing what might happen if the world's poets changed places with the screenwriters.

If anyone ever tells you that modern music is dumb, you can shoot them down with three syllables: Pet Shop Boys.

In the annals of British pop, Woody Woodmansey is far from the most famous name. But when he performs in Hull, he achieves a rare distinction: arriving fans pass a blue plaque in his honour.

Countless unknown singers have made their name by appearing on a TV talent show.

Pop may not be as meritocratic as it once was, but it still beats most walks of life. Pedigree counts for very little - just ask Sean Lennon or James McCartney.

The Brits must strike a balance between male and female, black and white, sales and excellence. In the 40th edition, they fell at the first hurdle.

From George Harrison in 2002 to Ginger Baker the other day, we're used to finding a rock star's death followed by a tribute gig. On Tuesday, the idea came with a twist: the honoree was still with us.

Like Bob Dylan, whose songs he sings so well, Bryan Ferry has gone from being a bit of a recluse to an unstoppable old trouper. At 74, he is on the road for the eighth year in a row.

Mention 1996 to a music-lover and they will probably think of Oasis or the Spice Girls. But those bands, huge though they were, only had Britain's second- and third- biggest-selling albums of the year.

For a music lover, there's nothing better than putting on a debut album by an unknown and realising that you've found a new favourite.

Quite a few albums that should have come out now have been postponed till the autumn. You can understand why, but it's no use to the fans who have time to kill and a thirst for new music.

In a fascinating, fitful career, Fiona Apple has often felt like a one-woman band - singing, playing the piano, perhaps throwing in some rudimentary percussion.

Out of this strange suspended spring, patterns are emerging. If an album isn't postponed, it's quite likely to be special. Music, like the sky on a sunny day, seems brighter, sharper, deeper.

Melbourne based pharmaceutical company has produced condoms that can fight the spread of the Zika virus. The condom is available in Australia and marketed as Ansell dual protect with VivaGel.

Sara Mujica, 17, went to visit her fiancé Victor Cruz, 19, in Honduras earlier this year and returned home to Danbury, Connecticut on March 30, with a fever and rashes all over her body.

University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of putting unborn children at risk by letting August's Olympics go ahead as planned.

University of Ottawa's Amir Attaran recently wrote an article in the Harvard Public Health Review, saying the Olympics should be moved from Rio to prevent a 'full-blown global health disaster'.

Samantha Armytage revealed she has serious doubts about covering the Rio Olympics over fears of contracting or being exposed to the Zika virus, with plans to have children over the coming years

Taking to Instagram on Sunday morning, the 39-year-old Sunrise host decided to clarify herself after The Daily Telegraph reported she wants to have children 'in the next few years'.

Researchers at Washington University successfully developed two mouse models to study how Zika virus infects unborn babies, by weakening their immune systems before infection.

The patient in Rutherford County contracted the disease while traveling internationally, according to a statement released by the state's Health Department on Thursday.

Those considering holidays to southern states in the US should look at alternatives, said Professor Jimmy Whitworth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A North Queensland resident has tested positive for Zika virus after a trip to Thailand and Bali, with a team sent to a town south of Cairns to spray for mosquitoes in case the disease spreads.

Former Mets player Francisco Rodriguez (pictured) said he'd been bedridden with the disease for two weeks on a trip back home to his native Venezuela - where the virus is rampant.

The Honduran mother who delivered what is believed to be the first baby to be born with a Zika virus-related condition in the New York tri-state area has broken her silence.

The British long-jumper has frozen samples of his sperm amid fears about the Zika virus at this summer's Olympic Games in Rio. The virus can cause birth defects and be transmitted through sex.

Deiseane Santiago, 22, intended to return to Brasil with her fiancé but when she fell pregnant she was afraid of the baby contracting Zika virus but Home Office have refused to let her extend her visa.

Travel advice issued from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia have added Bali to a long list of places being affected by the Zika virus - which has been linked to birth defects.

The Northern Ireland sportsman was due to compete in the sporting event in August. But he said today that it was a risk he was 'unwilling to take'.

In many of these countries abortion is either illegal or highly restricted, leaving pregnant women with few options and potentially driving them to use unsafe methods, warn experts at the University of Cambridge.

Ali Fedotowsky and fiance Kevin Manno were all set to say 'I do' in Mexico but sadly had to scrap those plans.

With the Zika virus casting a cloud hanging over the Olympics Games, several athletes have opted out with many more taking precautions. MARTHA KELNER answers the key questions...

The bacteria, called Wolbachia pipienti, is found in 60 per cent of insects globally and can be introduced to mosquitoes in the lab, the Madison School of Veterinary Medicine found.

While organizers didn't name her, Rihanna, 28, has been identified as the performer who dropped out of the festival by Colombian news outlets.

Hideki Matsuyama has become the latest golfer to withdraw from the Olympics because of concerns over the Zika virus. He joins the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jason Day in deciding not to compete.

The retired swimming champion questioned whether the game's big stars, including Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, were 'not going because they just don't want to go' to Rio de Janiero in Brazil.

She said earlier in the year that she wishes to have three children with her husband Michael Miziner.

Carly Patterson, one of the most decorated gymnasts in United States Olympic history has revealed she will be skipping the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Games due to the threat of the Zika virus.

Gold-winning Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn has admitted that she won't be going to the Summer games in Rio, Brazil this year because she's scared of contracting the Zika virus.

Imperial College London experts predict that the virus, which is rife in Brazil and other parts of South and Central America, will burn itself out in two to three years. However, it will strike again.

Has the threat of Zika ruined your summer travel plans? Don't fret! FEMAIL rounds up five unaffected destinations within the U.S. – and the perfect fashion picks to pack for each place.

A dozen staff are threatening to follow sports journalist Richard Conway (pictured) who is said to have told bosses he is bowing out of the event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Australian golfers Jason Day and Adam Scott have slammed Olympic chiefs for questioning their integrity by accusing them of not attending the Rio games because there is no prize money.

Unlike most viruses - which cannot cross the protective placenta - a new study by the University of California suggests that Zika can. It is the first study to map out the two routes that the infection can take.

These interactive maps show where people are being treated for the disease, how many patients are infected and which cities are most at risk.

The French 27-year-old was found to have traces of the virus in his semen after he came down with mild symptoms a few days after returning from Thailand.

Hope Solo took to Twitter to Friday to document her extensive Zika arsenal laid out on her bed – adding: 'If anyone in the village forgot to pack repellent, come and see me… #DeptofDefense #zikaproof.'

The mother had been diagnosed with the virus in May and had decided to keep the baby, a spokeswoman for the regional health authorities of Catalonia, where the baby was born, said today.

There could be 90 million infections - at least - before the current epidemic fades, according to a US-UK research team. In Latin America alone, that could mean at least 1.6 million infected pregnant women.

This freeze should remain in place until each individual unit of blood collected in the two counties can be tested, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.